Met up with Heather and her Maids of Honor for a Playdate session on the weekend of her bachlorette party. They were gifting her with this amazing weekend of surprises, so she decided to gift them with a photo session. Who wouldn’t love to have professional photos with their best friends?
It was crazy awesome, as you can see.
Little sister is married! Do all older siblings feel this incredulous at the thought that their younger kin are married off? Kelli Nicole, the main photographer for the day, was nice enough to let me shoot around her whenever I had the chance. Those chances didn’t come very often though because as both sister and MOHI was running around like crazy all day. I enjoyed playing “wedding coordinator” for the day, and remembered how much I love to plan things. I picked up my camera when I could, but otherwise I posed and yelled (yelled at people to get together for the photos) and re-applied my red lipstick.
They were married in the Columbia River temple in Kennewick e at 2:00 pm and then had a reception at Anthony’s in Richland. Consider this to be a little preview of the wedding day because I know that Kelli Nicole has much, much more to share! I recommend checking her blog daily until you see her teasers because I know they are going to be amazing. 
The bride had an awful trial a few days before so she decided to do her own hair. She did it herself first, but it didn’t turn out the way she had hoped so a bridesmaid did it instead. It looked so classy.
I gifted her a green cloth-covered hanger for the “dress photos” because I’ve seen way too many beautiful dress shots ruined by an ugly plastic hanger.
Are you dying to know where she ordered this bouquet? Call 1-800-Jenna Cole’s Mom.
Quite possibly my favorite pair of bridal shoes ever!
Sister had Grandma crochet her a garter with a blue ribbon through it to act as her something blue. They didn’t do the garter removal during the reception but she still wore it as a surprise for the groom once they got to the hotel.
Haha, this is such a Shay face.
I adore this shot! Definitely a lucky grab. My mom worked so hard to give Shaylene the wedding of her dreams and I love the bond this photo shows.
Bridesmaid Tawnee (the one who did her hair!) holding the mirror just right so Mom can place Sister’s veil just so. Oh yeah, Mom made the veil as well!
I really recocmend bringing a full length mirror to the hotel on your wedding day! It allows the bride to sit out in the open in the light instead of cramming in the bathroom the whole time.
Shay posed for a few portraits before heading out for the first look.
Adding lipstick, powder (my powder which she accidentally took with her at the end of the night, might I add), advil and other necessities to her sparkly clutch.
LDS couples who choose to do so are married in a small room of the temple with about 40 guests, a building that does not allow photos or video of any kind, so the moment when the bride and groom emerge from the doors is full of emotion and excitement. Many of those waiting outside are getting the first glimpse of the couple as man and wife!
Their first public kiss. I was able to attend the ceremony in the temple where they kissed as well and it was incredibly sweet and touching.
The bridesmaids had birdcage veils and the flower girls had little mini ones. Are there any words for how cute this is?
Shay with the niece that considered her to be family long before the wedding ever hapened. This little girl loves Shay! When I walked up to her she toddled over to me saying “Shay? Shay?”
I hope that cake buffets take the wedding industry by storm soon. They blow sculpted fondant cakes with bows and flowers out of the water!
I just happened to be sitting in the perfect seat at the head table to grab a few of the cake cutting.
He fed her a little morsel and then kissed her. How sweet!
Then she turned around and shoved an enormous piece (as well as two of her fingers) all the way inside his mouth. It was quite funny.
As the MOH I gave myself the assignment of decorating the getaway car. We stuffed the inside with white ballons and covered the outside with oreos to give it a polka-dot look. I wanted something funny yet classy.
I did not write that, in case you were wondering. My handwriting is awful. Thanks to bridesmaid Ashley who did!
Some naughty groomsmen took things a little farther than I wanted to and sprayed shaving cream under the door handles. When my husband pulled the car around for their getaway we warned him and he ended up cleaning them out with paper towels before the couple had the chance to reach their fingers in and make a mess.
Thanks to my husband for this lovely portraits of my friend Kelli Nicole and I at the end of the night. It had been a very long day, but the couple were beaming as they left, and our bellies were full of cake, so we were happy. Beautiful wedding, happy couple, and even better, it’s all over!
Gorgeous photos from the (actual) photographer to come soon!
Elizabeth and Casey are the first session I am posting that allows me to proudly say I’M SHOOTING THEIR WEDDING! All caps are definitely necessary for such an exciting announcement. My first wedding happened last weekend, and with Elizabeth and Casey I’m doing engagement, bridals, and wedding. It feels really amazing to reach these milestones that I consider to be significant indicators in my professional development. If you didn’t know already, starting your own business is killer work, and I believe those who take on the challenge should take the time to recognize each milestone as they overtake it. So here I am doing my happy dance: *Happy Dance*
But this post isn’t about Jenna Cole, it’s about Elizabeth and Casey, their beautiful faces, and of course their sweet, sweet, love. They met at a concert (seriously, if you are looking for love go to a concert, so many people I talk to met that way) and have been together for 6 years now. They’re both incredibly grounded, taking time out of life to visit the family ranch in Walnut Springs for fishing and camping, and hoping to have a family of their own one day. The three of us had a wonderful time wandering around historic downtown Fort Worth in the early morning light before heading over to the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens for lots of “pretty” photos. I thought it was a great mix!
Not that great of a photo technically, but super cool when you look at it knowing that the blur effect was done completely in camera. No joke! I bumped up the contrast and saturation on this one, but that’s it! No idea how I did it, but I hope to make it happen again someday.
I think this Elizabeth’s favorite. The sunburt coming through the kiss is always a crowd-pleaser, and I think for good reason. Plus how many sunburst-through-the-kiss shots have you seen with a prickly cactus in the frame? Not very many I bet.
I like that this crop gives it a bit of a panoramic feel.
My cowgirl grandma likes this one the best!
Just in cast you were wondering, we did not visit this lot. Obviously, since it’s “Privite”.
A very close contender for That Shot for me. I tend to process for bright colors and glowing skin, but this shot was crying out for some heavier processing and a bit of desaturation. I think the cart of “junk” on the right side balances the photo out very nicely.
Downtown Fort Worth is the kind of location you could shoot at all day long. Filled with all kinds of nooks and crannies to explore and SO MUCH character
We arrived at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens about 15 minutes before the doors opened and so I suggested that we make the most of our time and take some pictures right next to the parking lot. These two can tell you that with each click of the shutter I exclaimed “Oh my goodness, the light out here is to die for!” I joked that we would pay to get into the gardens (because they charge a fee for professional photography on the grounds), and it would all be unnecessary because the best shots were happening in the parking lot!
Luckily we got some pretty amazing stuff inside as well, so I don’t think they regret the investment.
Casey deserves all credit for noticing this knot at the base of the tree that looked a bit like a heart. I suggested we add Elizabeth’s ring in the middle and so this purty ring shot was born. I hope Casey is planning on bringing that eye for details on the wedding day as well!
Elizabeth and Casey are getting married on October 17, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. And they are good kissers, as demonstrated here, so I know I”ll get something great when the big moment at the altar happens!
The doors to the gardens finally opened and we were disappointed to learn that the information concerning photography fees found on the website were completely inaccurate. We didn’t visit all of the areas we had originally planned on stopping by because of the outrageous fees they are charging, but I think photos like the one below prove you don’t always need to pay to visit the “popular” spots to get gorgeous locations!
This shot makes me laugh each time I see scroll past it. We were walking and I whipped around suddenly and said “Pose!” Casey drew Elizabeth close and I saw this. My clients can assure you that, if anything, I under-direct my shoots, but I like to throw people a curve ball every once in awhile and see if we can get something spontaneous that really works!
The rose gardens were a bit of a disappointment and it was already quite hot, so we stuck to the shade. I balaned precariously on a nearby park bench for this angle.
Remember that beautiful light from the parking lot? There must be something about the trees in Fort Worth because when you gather a bunch of them together in one place they filter the sunlight perfectly. I opened up my aperture to 1.2 and that’s when the magic happened. These are absolutely some of the best protraits I’ve taken to date, and they showed me why some of the best photogs out there swear by shooting wide open all the time!
I told them the jerseys screamed out for a “tough” pose. This is what I got.
THAT SHOT!
The way she is looking at him. The beautiful, beautiful skin tones. The way his pose and facial expression scream out how comfortable he is in front of the camera (or maybe he’s just a really good faker!). I would love to have a million pictures just like this one in my portfolio.
These two know how to have fun and make each other laugh. I count myself lucky to be able to spend so much time with them this year!
Elizabeth and Casey, October 17th can’t come fast enough! I’m looking forward to lots of laughs, a beautiful wedding, and spending the day taking picture of the two of you and your nearest and dearest. Thank you so much for giving me that opportunity. See you in a few!
Best,
Jenna
So much to say, and this is just the teaser. Daniel and Dayna were brave enough to book with me, even though this was my FIRST SOLO WEDDING EVER. Awww yeah! I feel like I’ve climbed a huge mountain, and it’s only going to keep getting better from here. Booking the first wedding is usually incredibly difficult because everyone wants to see your past work, and I only had a few second shooting gigs under my belt. Daniel and Dayna decided to take a chance on me, and they even flew me all the way out to El Paso to do it. Needless to say, I love them.
Teasers are supposed to be both short on words and pictures, so I’ll stop now (except for a few short descriptions because I think photos are always better with commentary), but you can expect to see much more of these two in a few weeks!
Daniel, oh-so-adorably raising his hand when asked by the officiant “Who here is in love?”
A favorite out of the portaits I’ve been able to sort through so far.
I was so worried about the height difference but when Dayna stands on her tippy-toes their lips meet just perfectly!
These two (and the rest of their guests!) were on the dance floor all night long!
Two of the “single ladies” in the house that night.
So so so much more to come!
Shhhhh….. don’t tell their boss, but Jennifer and Rece are coworkers! They met at work 3 years ago and it only took Rece 4 months to start making excuses to walk by Jennifer’s desk a little more often. Then, Jennifer started encountering all kinds of questions about reports (make-believe reports?) that absolutely could not be answered without Rece’s help. Kissing coworkers!
Actually I’m 99% sure that their boss already knows because of the time that Rece and Jennifer went to Hawaii together, back when their coworkers didn’t know they were dating. When they came back from their trip at the same time (after having left at the same time) looking all tan and happy (because everyone comes back from Hawaii looking tan and happy) the office caught on and the cat was out of the bag. Luckily this crazy cool couple works in a crazy cool office where they let you get away with that kind of thing.
I let these two pick our meeting spot, and was pleasantly surprised to plug in the address on Google Maps and discover that it was only about 5 minutes from my apartment (sometimes I drive 40 miles for a shoot!). We met in a high school parking lot and I turned around and said “Can we pretty please walk over to that hill and shoot with the sky behind you?”
I’m not usually one for dramatic and crazy processing but I couldn’t resist playing around with these images a little bit.
I think this is my favorite for the skyline shots. If their feet were just a little bit closer together they would almost form a heart!
Bravo! Bravo! What a wonderful dip, with the wind blowing her hair and her dress.
We drove down the road a little bit to find this tree that Jennifer had spotted. I think I actually gasped when I saw it. It’s the kind of tree a photographer might dream about because it’s just so pretty and perfectly manicured.
Jennifer and Rece are planning a destination wedding on the island of Kauai in Hawaii in late April/early May 2010. They’ll be getting married on Princeville Beach, which just happens to be the locations of their first vacation as a couple. Sweet touch, no?
I don’t do the classic “pose with the ring in the shot” thing very often, and I did have another shot that was a nice closer crop of their faces, but I LOVE Jen’s ring so I had to include it.
My favorite shots are the ones with motion (and of course emotion). To get a shot like this I tell my couples to “walk past me and act natural, look at the camera, or don’t look at the camera, I don’t care”. Those directions don’t make any sense when I write them here, but look at what they resulted in!
We hopped back in the car again and Jen directed us toward a field of flowers she had spotted on one of her morning runs. All of the locations you’ve seen so far in these shots were discovered while Jen and Rece were going on runs together. They’re one of those couples I really admire, who love to be active together, including mountain biking, running, or hiking. Definitely something my husband and I need to work on!
THAT SHOT!
Look at those sweet smiles. And that sunflower in her lovely brown hair. And I will admit I find Rece’s curly locks adorable (in a very masculineway of course ).
You know, Jen doesn’t like buffalo wings but goes with Rece to eat them on $.50 wing night. Rece isn’t the biggest fan of sushi, but he happily takes Jen out for it since sushi is her favorite meal. These two have a GREAT relationship because they know how to compromise. They were so happy and sweet together that morning.
Shiny & pretty!
Just as I was taking this picture, the policeman showed up. The sunflowers were quite tall, so he couldn’t see us, but he walked around Rece’s car trying to figure out why someone was parked in a lot full of weeds (“No officer, not weeds, sunflowers.”) As we walked toward him my camera was a dead giveway for our activities and he asked if we were taking “wedding pictures”. I figured that was close enough, said yes, and he sent us on our way, letting us know that this was a construction site and off limits.
Lesson learned. Next time I go back with someone, we’ll park across the street.
The last two spots of the day were my own suggestion, some backdrops I had discovered while wandering around near my apartment. I had been wanting to use them for awhile, and I finally had a couple choose a location close enough by my house to do so.
This spot is muddy and loud (on the other side of that building is a rifle range) but that lovely blue is a color you rarely see and I thought it went so well with the brown hued clothes they changed into.
This is a pose I try with most of my couples, but rarely get good results. This was all set up by me, but doesn’t Jennifer look so natural? I think a good photographer lets couples interact organically, but helps bring their emotions out by offering suggestions along the way.
The kind of shot Grandma will love. If she doesn’t complain about the top of his hair being cut off.
Jen looks barefoot in this picture and I think it’s cute.
Our last stop for the day was a secret place I’ve been dying to use for months. The day I received my camera in the mail I went out on a photo adventure to try to learn how to use it (I can’t believe that was only 4 months ago!). Next to the golf course, right next to my apartment complex, is a little grove of trees, and inside of these trees I found an old rusted out truck. Jennifer and Rece did not realize what they were getting themselves into when they agreed to hike inside to see it, as the place was full of stickers that stuck to Rece’s pants, my shoes and shorts, and Jen’s dress. I don’t know how Jen got all the way through the stickers in those heels!
But this, THIS, is exactly what I wanted. Oh so sexy with her gorgeous gams and his hand on her thigh and the license plate so rusted out you can’t even read what it says anymore.
Now that I revealed how awful it was to hike inside I don’t think any more clients will follow me there again, but that’s okay because Rece and Jennifer were amazing and gorgeous, and I sorta love them.
Jennifer and Rece you two are smoking hot, and that wedding of yours is going to be amazing. Thanks for visiting my crazy locations and putting up with stickers all over your clothes. I had such a grea time with you, and most of all I can’t thank you enough for referring me to your friends – referring me before our shoot together even happened! Thank you for having so much faith in me.
Best,
Jenna
© 2013 Jenna Cole Photography-Chicago, IL
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